As the bushfire smoke clears sport can be a social anchor

Through the recent summer bushfire crisis sport organisations - specifically Surf Life Saving Clubs - were at the forefront of emergency service efforts. While emergency services, search and rescue are surf life savings' bread and butter, surf life savers, who are largely volunteers, ensured the safety of thousands upon thousands of Australians on our beaches. The level of logistical support rendered by volunteer Surf Life Saving Clubs in NSW saw Brett Richardson, Surf Life Saving NSW State Liaison Officer permanently based at Rural Fire Service Headquarters in Sydney.

Images from beaches on Australia's east coast including the seaside town of Mallacoota and several New South Wales South Coast beaches graphically illustrate the important contribution volunteer Surf Life Saving clubs made from rendering first aid to coordinating safe land and sea evacuations. On-water evacuations included closely coordinated efforts with Marine Rescue and State police. Given the horrendous smoke Bermagui Surf Life Saving Club volunteers assisted general practitioners with first aid and oxygen therapy for those having difficulty breathing.

Importantly, volunteer surf life savers provided much needed emotional comfort and support to those within their communities and the thousands of holiday makers who found themselves in an emergency bushfire crisis far from home. Such was the involvement of clubs, Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce described recent events as "unprecedented."

"Never before has Surf Life Saving NSW stood up these resources in a crisis like this," he said.

"Collectively, between four South Coast surf clubs, we have over 6,000 people's lives being protected which demonstrates the benefits of surf clubs to the community - beyond the beach."

Demonstrating Surf Life Saving's continued support, in South Australia surf clubs across the state and under the auspice 'help our volunteers support other volunteers in this difficult time' are raising important funds to help volunteer firefighters continue their important activities.

Following the bushfire crisis and in some cases ongoing fire events, professional athletes, leagues and teams have used their platform as a way to raise funds and support the many communities ravaged by fire. The Australian summer of tennis itself has been directly impacted by the bushfire crisis with play interrupted and significant concerns for the health and wellbeing of athletes, officials and spectators.

The 'Aces for Bushfire Relief' campaign saw Tennis Australia commit a $100 donation for every ace served at ATP Cup matches in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. Further, and through big name support, the Australian Open's 'Rally For Relief' raised almost $5 million for bushfire effected communities. Cricket, the NRL and AFL will also use their current and upcoming fixtures and leagues as important opportunities to lend financial and other support.

Sport: an important social anchor

Notwithstanding these notable and impactful efforts, the broader importance of sport organisations cannot be understated. Our prior research has explored the social role that professional sport organisations play in their communities. The significance of sport organisations as a support network or 'social anchor', for instance, through involvement in mentoring youth, promoting sport participation, and community outreach were found to be centrally important.

Additionally, our further scholarship illustrates how sport organisations contribute to the development of social capital within and through communities.

Surf club membership provides a nurturing environment that develops a feeling of belonging, and a sense of being valued and trusted by others. This social acceptance provides the basis for developing a feeling of community with associated social and citizenship values. Within Australian surf clubs, a sense of community facilitated by a common purpose has been identified (i.e. to save lives and to provide a community service), as well as the development of agency (i.e. a can-do attitude), shared community values (i.e. helping people) and an emotional connection through family-like bonds.

Dense bonds, shared values, trust, agency and participation in the community can be linked to the elements of bonding social capital. In times of crisis and upheaval, the social capital (trust, reciprocity and social networks) developed in club situations through the close relationships forged through sport can be an important part of communities' recovery. While professional sport clubs and teams can be impactful, it is the grassroots and community-led organisations such as Surf Life Saving who may facilitate a greater and certainly more authentic social impact and community resilience.

The very strong internal networks of mutual support present in surf clubs not only produce strong bonding social capital, the club programs also in turn produce increasing levels of human capital in the form of increased skills and knowledge base. Volunteering and skills development within the club provide a foundation for bridging social capital to grow through engagement with the broader community. Finally, research indicates that community and individual benefits flow on to others in the community directly from the development of bonding, bridging and leveraging of human capital.

The growing stock of human capital is important in this situation as it is available to the wider local community for the social benefit of the whole community in times of need and crisis such as floods and bushfire events, for example, the return of life saving patrols to Mallacoota Beach. On the eve of Australia Day and nearly a month since Mallacoota was ravaged by bushfire volunteer surf life savers through donated supplies and equipment were able to patrol the local beach. Mallacoota Surf Life Saving Club President Simon Berry remarked how the beach patrol which saw around 30 swimmers take to the water was especially important for the local young people. "It was that sense of normality that we were able to create by being back on patrol which was fantastic," he said.

A recent Daily Telegraph article also provides a window into how sport can be an anchor for bushfire effected communities. Upon finding his favourite AFL football in the remains of his burnt family home, young Harper Ireland discussed how he and his friends whose homes were also burnt were looking forward to pre-season training. He is quoted as saying "…it's really sad that our house has burned down but I'm keen to get back to playing footy again, mainly to see all my mates". For Harper, kicking a football at training was an important escape from recent traumatic events-an opportunity to spend time with friends in a safe environment. These opportunities are important for everyone, but children are a special case. Many are challenged about how to make sense of what has happened to their homes and that of their families and friends. So local sport clubs can be familiar places to talk through their experiences, to ask questions and be emotionally supported.

An organised and powerful coalition will help direct facility development post bushfires

While this sense of normality, escape and support is important, practical supports in the form of replacing lost equipment and in the longer term rebuilding sports fields and allied community sport infrastructure will be fundamental. At present a national audit of clubs that have lost facilities this summer has been launched. As this audit takes place a so-called 'Coalition' of Major Professional and Participation Sports has just formed with a view to ensure that lost facilities are not only replaced but enhanced. Consisting of CEOs from seven sports; AFL, Rugby Australia, Cricket Australia, Football Federation Australia, National Rugby League, Netball Australia and Tennis Australia, they will work with the Federal Sports Minister Senator Richard Colbeck and relevant agencies to aid facility re-development in affected bushfire communities

To this end and while the Coalition approach will see the development of a national infrastructure fund, the pooling of economic support, fund-raising and facility expansion, it will be important that local councils and their constituents play an active role in how rebuilding plans are developed, directed and implemented. Aside from the outcomes, involvement in the processes of planning and re-development will likely provide communities with a sense of purpose and goals for achievement.

Roads and primary infrastructure are central to recovery, but equally, places and spaces for sport and leisure will be similarly important as communities try to return to normal.